A vanity mirror is a mirror used at a dressing table or in a bedroom or bathroom to assist with dressing, hair, make-up and grooming. The term covers freestanding toilet mirrors on box stands, swing mirrors, folding triple mirrors, easel mirrors, hand mirrors and mirrors fixed to the back of a dressing table.
The swinging toilet mirror, with a glass pivoting between two uprights on a small base fitted with drawers, became popular in England during the eighteenth century and was made in walnut, mahogany and later satinwood. Victorian and Edwardian examples were often larger and more ornate, and silver-framed easel mirrors were made for fashionable dressing tables. The twentieth century brought triple-panel mirrors, Art Deco mirrors with bevelled and coloured glass, and illuminated vanity mirrors. When buying an antique vanity mirror, collectors look for an original mirror plate, which may show some foxing or silvering loss that many prefer to keep, as well as sound pivots, original finials and drawers, and good quality timber or metalwork. Replaced glass, missing finials and repairs to the uprights are common and should be reflected in price.
